Detained Chinese lawyer wins Ludovic Trarieux human rights prize

Chinese lawyer Wang Yu, facing a possible life sentence in China, was on Saturday awarded the prestigious Ludovic Trarieux Prize for her work defending human rights, organisers announced in Athens on Saturday.

Wang Yu

Wang, arrested in July 2015, is one of an estimated 250 lawyers and activists detained in a crackdown since then. She is charged with “state subversion” and could receive a life sentence.

China accuses Wang and others of using a Beijing law firm as a front to organise criminal activity. Her husband, a lawyer, is also in custody while her 16-year-old son is under police surveillance.

In choosing Wang, the jury wanted to “hail the courage” of a woman who “decided that she could no longer keep her mouth shut” despite the danger of speaking out, the prize’s founder Bernard Favreau said. Read More